The Genera
Craterellus. Cymatoderma (Cladoderris)
and
Thelephora
in South Africa.
By
P. H. B. T a lb o t.
CRATERELLUS Persoon.
1. Craterellus cornucopioides (Linn, ex Fr.) Pers., Myc. Eur. 2 (1825) 5; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 483.
Peziza cornucopioides Linn., Sp. Plant. (1753) 1181.
Cantharellus cornucopioides Linn, ex Fr., Syst. Myc. 1 (1821) 321.
Fig. 1.
Fructifications single or caespitose, about 4-5 cm high and 2-5 cm diam. at the apex, thin, m embranous, drying brittle, trum pet-shaped, tapered to the base, hollow to the base of the stipe. Hymenium on the outer side, cinereous when moist, drying brownish to yellow-brown and black at the base, sm ooth, becoming longitudinally wrinkled, subgelatinous, drying corneous. Abhymenial surface deep smoky brown, becoming almost black, squamulose. Margin often darker than the rest, usually curved downwards, sometimes erect, lobed. Stipe hollow, black, smooth, glabrous, up to 5 mm diam.
Basidia: long clavate or subcylindrical, 6-9 X 50-70 n, with 2-4 sterigmata.
Spores: hyaline, smooth, elliptic-oblong, with a small lateral apiculus, 6-5-8-(9-6) x 12— 14—(16-5) ft.
Specimens examined: 10456 (J. M. Wood, 4108), J. Blake, Harrison, Natal.
This is the only species of the genus to have been recorded in South Africa, and the above specimen is the only one yet found. The basidia and spores were clearly seen and were quite typical of this species. O ther microscopic characters were indis tinct.
The systematic position of Craterellus is likely to remain speculative until the Aphyllophorales have been more critically examined by hyphal analysis and by com pari son of other microscopic features. A recent view o f Craterellus is to place it in the Cantharellaceae (Singer in Lilloa 22, 1949, 730), a family supposedly related rather to the Clavariaceae than to the Agaricaceae or Thelephoraceae where it has formerly been classed.
CYM ATODERM A Jungh.
The name Cladoderris Pers. ex Berk., a later synonym of Cymatoderma Jungh., has almost exclusively been used for this genus in the past, and was proposed for conser vation against Cymatoderma (D onk in Bull. Bot. Gard. Buitenzorg ser. iii, 18, 1941, pp. 156 and 163). This proposal was defeated at Congress (Taxon 2, 1953, 31). The type species of the genus is Cymatoderma elegans Jungh.
The little that is known of the genus is mainly summarised in Fries’ “ Fungi Natalenses ” (1848) and in Lloyd’s “ Synopsis of the Genus C lad o d erris” (Lloyd Myc. Writ. 4, 1913).
Cymatoderma is evidently closely related to Stereum, especially through such species as Stereum involutum (Klotzsch) Fr., but differs from Stereum in the possession o f a radially ribbed and usually papillate hymenium. With the exception o f Cladoderris funalis, the species of Cladoderris or Cymatoderma are rather uniform in microscopic
characters, having a dimitic hyphal system, hyaline spores, and usually cystidia a n d /o r gloeocystidia showing respectively little variation from species to species. But macro- scopically the species are bewilderingly variable. The specific distinctions have always been based almost entirely on the external appearance without adequate investigation o f the microscopic features and without sufficient regard for the natural variations and intergradations that are possible in such characters as hairyness, colour and habit. Owing to variation these characters are undoubtedly o f m inor im portance and the emphasis laid on them originally resulted in an unnecessary num ber o f species being proposed. Recognising this fact to some extent, Lloyd was able to accept only five ‘ good ’ species out of some twenty-five that had already been described. Lloyd noted that the mode of insertion of the stipe was of no specific value, and stated th at the characters of value were: (1) the nature of the hymenial folds, whether broad and obtuse or narrow and sharp, (2) the presence or absence of papillae (but then adm itted that these were not a constant feature), and (3) the tomentose upper surface, whether densely or scantily clothed with hairs.
It is instructive to quote fairly extensively from Lloyd’s comments on some of the species which he differentiated, which show clearly that the above characters are actually of little taxonomic value owing to variation and intergradation, and secondly that any attem pt to key out species entirely on such characters is likely to fail:—
*Cladoderris dendritica: “ Papillae usually none, but many specimens occur with a few.” . . . “ I believe that . . . C. elegans is in reality only an excessively warty form (of C. dendritica) for while the type forms are so different (apparently) there are many connecting specimens in the museums.”
*Cladoderris elegans: “ As to colour, variation as to form and stipe characters, and very often as to the even, thick tom entum pad on the pileus, elegans is similar to dendritica, but elegans has the narrow folds of the hymenium densely covered with papillae ” . . . “ And the hymenium folds, while narrow, are m ore the nature of those of Cladoderris spongiosa, and specimens occur connecting it with spongiosa, rather than with dendritica.”
*Cladoderris spongiosa: “ N o r is the distinction between it and Cladoderris elegans strongly marked, for the nature of the (hymenial) folds is not an absolute character, and many specimens occur th at appear to be intermediate.”
Ta b l e 1.
M icroscopic organs o f various species o f C ym atoderm a ( Cladoderris): M easurements in /*.
Species. Cystidia. G loeocystidia. Spores. Hairs.
'n e b - . ' Hyphae.
C. elegans... 14-17 x 35-45 6-11 x 35-55 3 • 2 -3 • 7 x 6 - 5 - 8 - 3 3-5 3 -5 ; dimitic.
C. spongiosa___ 9 -1 4 X 20 -5 0 9 -13 x 28-55 3 • 2 -4 • 8 X 6 - 4 - 9 - 5 4 -6 3 -6 ; dimitic.
C. australica__ 6 -6 -1 3 X 20-40 9 -1 2 x 25 -6 0 3 - 2 - 5 0 X 6 - 4 - 9 - 6 4 -6 2 -5 -5 ; dimitic.
C.
infundibuli-fo r m is ... 9 -1 5 X 25 -4 0 8-15 x 30-45 3 - 3 - 4 0 x 6 • 7 -8 • 6 4 -5 3 -5 ; dimitic.
C. den dritica. . . N il. 8-13 x 30-75 3 x 4 or 3 -4 diam. 5 -6 3 -7 ; dimitic.
C. fu n a lis... N il. N il. 4 - 8 - 6 - 4 x 6 - 4 - 8 0 3-5 3 -9 ; monom itic.
The taxonomy o f this genus must undoubtedly be based primarily on microscopy (see Table 1; cfr. Figs. 2-7). If this is done, C. dendritica may be separated from the other species m entioned above by its distinctively smaller and rounder spores and by its lack of cystidia, features mentioned also by Burt (in Ann. Mo. Bot. G ard. 11, 1924, 3). All the other species quoted above have spores, cystidia and gloeocystidia of essentially the same size and shape respectively, and cannot be separated microscopically. The precise configuration of the hymenium, as Lloyd showed, is variable and intergrades, and in any case this character has frequently been dem onstrated as unreliable in taxo nomy. The development of the surface hairs varies considerably in specimens of a single collection, and hairs may easily rub off with age or be destroyed by insects. The thinner pileus and darker colour of C. infundibulifonnis is mainly due to the fact that the hairs are scanty. If the hairs be removed from a specimen o f C. spongiosa, the surface is seen to be dark in colour and composed o f radiating, acute ridges not essen tially different from C. infundibulifonnis. To the writer only one macroscopic character so far appears to be of definite specific value, namely whether as in C .funalis P. Henn. the pileus is deeply dissected into narrow radiating segments. But as will be seen later, this species is probably better referred to the Clavariaceae under Clavulina or Aphelaria.
The species that have been studied may be grouped as follows:—
(A) Pileus deeply dissected into narrow radiating segments. Hyphae monomitic. Cystidia and gloeocystidia absent. Basidia bisporous to quadrisporous.
Spores 4 • 8-6 - 4 x 6 - 4-8 /x. C. funalis.
Pileus entire to shortly incised or laciniate at the margin. Hyphae dimitic. Cystidia a n d /o r gloeocystidia present (B).
(B) Gloeocystidia present, cystidia absent. Spores ± subglobose, 3 X 4 /x or 3-4 /x
diam. C. dendritica.
Both gloeocystidia and cystidia present. Spores ellipsoid, 3-5 x 6-10 p.
The C. elegans Complex (C). (C) Pileus surface densely covered by a thick, whitish, pad-like tomentum.
(a) Hymenial ribs narrow C. elegans.
(b) Hymenial ribs broad, obtuse C. spongiosa.
Pileus surface scantily tomentose, light red-brown or yellow-brown.
C. infundibulifonnis. Pileus surface almost devoid o f hairs when m ature, and dark red-brown to fuscous
This last group of four names (the C. elegans Complex) has been subdivided above in accordance with the old concept of the species concerned, where extremes in m acro scopic form were recognised. But there is little doubt that all these species are variations of a single species, whose earliest epithet is elegans, and that the variations intergrade so much that it would not be practicable to recognise varieties o f C. elegans based on those macroscopic features. I propose therefore that C. spongiosa, C. infundibuliformis, and C. australiea should be regarded as svnonvms o f C. elegans Jungh.
Notes on South African Records of Cymatoderma (Cladoderris).*
The species of Cymatoderma and Cladoderris that have been recorded for South Africa will now be reviewed. Accepted species are printed in bold type, synonyms or dubious records in italics. I am much indebted to the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and to the D irector of the South African Museum, Cape Town, for the loan of some specimens. I wish also to record my thanks to Mr. D. A. Reid o f Kew Herbarium for helpful discussion o f some of the problems involved.
1. Cladoderris australis Kalchbr. f. minima Bres.
There is a specimen in Kew labelled “ Cladoderris australis Kalchbr. f. minima. Specimen authenticum ” , in K alchbrenner’s writing. The word “ Cape ” and Bresa- dola’s signature also appear on the label. Although I have not been able to trace whether Bresadola ever published his f. minima, and it is probably only a herbarium name, yet this specimen requires comment in view of the similarity of the epithets o f C. australis and C. australiea and another species Cladoderris minima C. & Br.
The specimen is not a Cymatoderma but instead a good m atch with Stereum thozetii Berk. According to Lloyd (Syn. Stip. Stereum 1 9 1 3 , 2 8 ) a specimen which he
assumes to be the original of C. australis Kalchbr. is Stereum elegans Mey.
2 . Cymatoderma elegans Jungh. in Tijdschr. N at. Gesch. Phys. ed v. d. Hoeven & De
Vriese 7 ( 1 8 4 0 ) 3 9 0 ; M ontagne in Ann. Sci. N at. 7 ( 1 8 4 7 ) 1 7 3 .
Cladoderris elegans (Jungh.) Fries, Fungi Natalenses ( 1 8 4 8 ) 2 2 ; Doidge in Bothalia 5 ( 1 9 5 0 ) 4 8 0 .
Cladoderris spongiosa Fries (!), Fungi Natalenses ( 1 8 4 8 ) 2 0 ; Saccardo, Syll. Fung. 6 ( 1 8 8 8 ) 5 4 8 ; Lloyd, Syn. Gen. Cladoderris ( 1 9 1 3 ) 5 , f. 5 2 6 ; van der Byl in Ann.
Univ. Stellenbosch 7 ( 1 9 2 9 ) 5 1 , f. 1 7 ; Doidge in Bothalia 5 ( 1 9 5 0 ) 4 8 0 .
Cladoderris spongiosa Fr. var subsessilis Fr., Fungi Natalenses ( 1 8 4 8 ) 2 1 ; Doidge in Bothalia 5 ( 1 9 5 0 ) 4 8 0 .
Actinostroma infundibuliforme Klotzsch, Fungi in Meyen, Beitráge zur Botanik, gesammelt auf einer Reise um die Erde ( 1 8 4 3 ) 2 3 7 .
Cladoderris infundibuliformis (Kl.) Fries, Fungi Natalenses ( 1 8 4 8 ) 2 1 ; Doidge in Bothalia 5 ( 1 9 5 0 ) 4 8 0 .
Cladoderris australiea Berk, ex Saccardo, Syll Fung. 6 ( 1 8 8 8 ) 5 4 8 ; Cooke, H andbk. of Australian Fungi ( 1 8 9 2 ) 1 8 1 , f. 7 6 ; As C. australiea Berk, in Herb., Cooke in
Grevillea 8 ( 1 8 7 9 ) 7 0 , nom nud.; ibid. 9 ( 1 8 8 0 ) 1 4 , nom. nud.; ibid. 11 ( 1 8 8 2 ) 2 8 , nom. nud.
Fi g s. 2 , 4 - 6 .
Pileus flabellate to infundibuliform, substipitate or attached by a short central, excentric or lateral stipe. Surface radially ridged, the ridges sharp, sublamellate, varying from nearly glabrous and somewhat zonate to thickly covered with a dense whitish, later discoloured, pad-like tomentum and azonate; the ridges yellow-brown to light reddish-brown to dark red-brown (near C arob brown or Chestnut of Ridgway). M argin entire or slightly incised. Hymenium creamy to light buff, radially costate, the ribs varying from narrow and sharp to broad and obtuse, almost sm ooth or strongly papillate or tuberculate.
Basidia: Clavate, 25-45 X 6 |i,
Spores: 3-2-5 X 6*4-9-6 /x, hyaline, smooth, elliptical, sometimes unilaterally depressed.
C ystidia: smooth, rarely with a minutely encrusted apical portion, hyaline, very thick- walled, fusiform, mammiform or pyriform, often with a small apical protuberance, (6- 6)—8—17 X 20-50 fi, terminal in position.
Gloeocystidia: smooth, hyaline, with homogeneous deeply-staining contents, fusoid, pyriform or mammiform, or sometimes elongated and irregularly subcylindrical, (6)—8— 12—(15) X 25-60
H yphae: dimitic, hyaline. Skeletal hyphae thick-walled, smooth, 2*5-6 n diam. Surface hairs: scanty to abundant, thick-walled, sm ooth, hyaline, with clamp connec tions, part of the generative hyphal system.
Specimens examined: As C. elegans: Herb. H ort. Bot. Bog. Java 2361 in Herb. Kew.; P. W. Richards 2258, Sarawak, in Herb. Kew. (Java is the locus typicus of this species). As C. spongiosa : Part of Type in Herb. Kew. m arked by Fries “ Cladoderris spongiosa Fung. N at. fragmentum Cap. N at.” ; Farquharson 47, S. Nigeria, in Herb. Kew.; Universiteit van Stellenbosch, Herbarium P. A. van der Byl nr. 319, 2085; N ational Herbarium , Pretoria Nos. 36864, 33142, 15554, 31344, 9149, 39079. As C. infun-dibuliformis: Diimmer 2108 and 3125, Uganda, in Herb. Kew.; Ex Papua, det E. M. Wakefield, in Herb. Kew; W. Small, 471, U ganda; Maitland 1, 30 A, U ganda; Holst 2542, U sam bara; National Herb., Pretoria No. 18045 and 13032 (Diimmer 2108), U ganda; Universiteit van Stellenbosch, Herbarium P. A. van der Byl nr. 522. As C. australica: J. M. Wood 239, Natal (In Herb. Kew. and in Herb. S.A. Museum No. 34303) neotype. As Thelephora dendritica: ex Gripps Land, Herb. Berkeley.
U nder Cladoderris elegans, Doidge lists two collections by Drêge from South Africa. It has been ascertained that neither o f these is represented in M ontagne’s Herbarium in the Paris N atural History Museum.
Cladoderris spongiosa Fr. var subsessilis Fr. was described as having an excentric stipe, but, as Lloyd has shown, the characters of stipe insertion are not of taxonomic value in this genus.
There is a specimen in Herb. Kew. labelled “ Thelephora calix Kze. ” in an unknown handwriting, and “ Thelephora dendritica Fr. Africa austr. leg. Ecklon & Zeyher ” by Berkeley. It corresponds with Cladoderris spongiosa microscopically, and macro- scopically except that its hymenium is obviously discoloured.
Cooke referred to a Berkeley specimen from New South Wales which, if it existed, would be the holotype. The only Berkeley specimen in the type folder o f C. australiea at Kew was labelled “ Thelephora dendritica ” by Berkeley, and came from Gipps Land. Gipps Land is now p art of Victoria, but I am informed by Mr. D. A. Reid that prior to 1851 it formed part of New South Wales. The old boundaries would be difficult to define and no exact locality was given for this specimen, so one could perhaps accept this specimen as being the one from N.S.W. referred to by Saccardo and by Cooke. Berkeley, on the other hand, did not use the name C. australiea for this speci men, and so one m ust assume th at he used it for a specimen th at is now lost; conse quently a lectotype or neotype should be chosen. As there is no material in existence seen and classified by Berkeley as C. australiea a lectotype is out of the question and a neotype should be nominated. C ooke’s earlier m ention o f the species was in connec tion with the N atal collection of J. M . Wood No. 239, and there is little doubt that both Saccardo’s and Cooke’s descriptions, and the coloured figure, fit the N atal specimens rather than Berkeley’s specimen from Gipps Land. Lloyd (Syn. Gen. Cladoderris 1913, 10) considered that the latter specimen matched C. spongiosa Fr., and I support that opinion. Consequently I consider that if another Berkeley specimen, now lost, had existed, it must have had the appearance of / . M. Wood 239, and I nom inate the latter as the neotype of Cladoderris australiea Berk, ex Sacc. I regard both C. spongiosa and C. australiea as synonyms of Cymatoderma elegans Jungh. T hat a neotype for C. australiea should be nominated, really only becomes a practical necessity if this synonymy should later be disputed.
It may be m entioned that the specimen of J. M . Wood No. 239 in the N ational Herbarium, labelled Cladoderris thwaitesii, is instead a species o f Favolus, but th at the p art o f this collection in Herb. S.A. Museum 34303 matches Cladoderris australiea and the neotype in Kew.
3. Cladoderris funalis P. Henn. in Engler Jahrb. 38 (1905) 120; Saccardo Syll. Fung. 21 (1912) 385; van der Byl in Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch 7 (1929) 52, f. 18; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 480.
Fig. 7.
Fructifications laterally stipitate, anastomosed and with somewhat fused stipes, more or less flabellate, 3 cm diam. and 1 • 5 cm high. Stipe 1 • 5-2 cm X 2 mm, com pressed, rugulosely striate. U pper surface sterile, yellow-brown to pale reddish-brown, covered with tangled, thick, concolorous fibrils composed of fascicles o f hyphae. Margin fimbriate to deeply dissected. Hymenium yellowish to brownish, covering broad, obtuse, radiating, branched ribs, not papillate, decurrent on the stipes.
Basidia: cylindric-clavate, 35-50 x 6-8 with two to four sterigm ata up to 4 /x long. Spores: hyaline, smooth, ovate to ellipsoid, finely apiculate, 4 -8 -6 -4 x 6-4-8 /x. Hyphae: thin-walled, hyaline, w ithout clamps, septate, readily collapsing, in parts inflated, 3-9 /z wide. Hyphae composing the surface fibrils are similar, usually unin flated, 3-5 /x wide, adherent in fascicles.
Specimens examined: Universiteit van Stellenbosch, Herbarium P. A. van der Byl nr. 2465 (Eyles 5026), Salisbury, S. Rhod.
This collection agrees very well with Hennings’ description and Lloyd’s photograph (Syn. Gen. Clad., 1913, p. 10, Fig. 530) of the type, and appears to be correctly nam ed as to species.
W riting of Cladoderris funalis, Lloyd said, “ It is so different from all other species th at it is a question if Hennings was correct in referring it to Cladoderris.” Lloyd suggested an affinity with Laclmocladium, but that can be ruled out since C. funalis has no dichophytic hyphae.
Certainly C. funalis is far removed from other Cladoderris species by its monomitic hyphae which become inflated, by its bisporous to quadrisporous basidia, and by the lack o f cystidia and gloeocystidia. It seems certain that the ribbed hymenium is composed basically of flattened clavarioid branches which have fused into an unusual dorsiventral form. Except that the basidia are not all bisporous they and the other microscopic characters agree well with those o f Clavulina as delimited by Corner (M onogr. of Clavaria and Allied Genera, 1950), and there are species in this genus which show flattened branching. Flattened branching is however more characteristic o f the genus Aphelaria Corner in which the basidia are bisporous to quadrisporous; but the hyphae in Aphelaria are uninflated and tend to have thickened walls, which is not the case in Cladoderris funalis. Mr. D. A. Reid informs me that the type of C. funalis has basidia with four spores. Cladoderris funalis appears to have characters somewhat intermediate between those of Clavulina and Aphelaria but I am not in a position to decide to which of these genera it should be transferred.
4. Cladoderris thwaitesii Berk. & Broome; recorded by Kalchbrenner in Grevillea 10 (1881) 58; Saccardo Syll. Fung. 6 (1888) 550; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 480.
The collection which Kalchbrenner assigned to this species is J. M. Wood No. 239. This collection has been nominated above as the neotype of Cladoderris australiea Berk, ex Sacc., which has here been reduced to synonymy under Cymatoderma elegans Jungh.
According to Petch (Ann. Roy. Bot. G ard. Perad. 9, 1924, 134) the true C. thwaitesii is a bleeding species of Stereum.
TH ELEPH O RA E hrhart ex Fries.
M any of the Thelephoraceae were originally described as species of Thelephora and have since been combined under other genera. The object of this section is to annotate all those species which have at some time been recorded for South Africa under the genus Thelephora.
1. Thelephora (leijostroma) aeerina (Pers.) Pers. ex Fr., Syst. Myc. 1 (1821) 453; Persoon, Syn. Fung. (1801) 581, Myc. Eur. 1 (1822) 152; Léveille in Ann. Sci. N at. ser iii, 5 (1846) 150.
Stereum aeerinum (Pers. ex Fr.) Fr., Epicrisis (1838) 554; Saccardo Syll. Fung. 6 (1888) 587.
As no material supporting Léveille’s and Saccardo’s records is available, it is not known whether this species is represented in South Africa. The species is refer able to the genus Aleurodiscus, and a description and comment on it as a South African record is given by the writer (Bothalia 6, 1956, 466).
2. Thelephora biennis Fries, Syst. Myc. 1 (1821) 449; recorded by Kalchbrenner in Grevillea 10 (1881) 58.
3. Thelephora {Stereum) fulva Léveille (!) in Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. iii, 5 (1846) 149. The type of this species, Drêge (9441), Cap-de-Bonne-Espérance in Herb. Mus. Paris, was examined and is annotated under Stereum fulvum (Lev.) Sacc: See Bothalia 6 (1954) 315, f. 20.
4. Thelephora fuscoviolascens M ont. in Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. iii, 7 (1847) 174.
Collected by Drêge (9429) at Port Natal, and referable to Hymenochaete fusco violascens (M ont.) Sacc., according to van der Byl (in Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch 7, 1929, 14). Saccardo (Syll. Fung. 6, 1888, 546) however, left the species under Thelephora, only suggesting in a footnote th at it might be a Hymenochaete. The correct citation is thus Hymenochaete fuscoviolascens (M ont.) v. d. Byl as indicated by Doidge, loc. cit. p. 484. Drége’s specimen has not been available for personal study.
5. Thelephora hirsuta (Willd.) Pers. ex F r.; Recorded for South Africa by Berkeley in Hooker Lond. Journ. Bot. 11 (1843) 516.
= Stereum hirsutum (Willd.) Pers. ex S. F. G ray; annotated in Bothalia 6 (1954) 316, f. 11.
6. Thelephora intybacea Pers. ex F r.; Recorded by van der Byl in Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. 10 (1922) 285 and in Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch 7 (1929) 32; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 495.
The writer has examined van der Byl’s specimens determined as this species in Universiteit van Stellenbosch, H erbarium P. A. van der Byl Nos. 214, 922, 1261, 1263. These are apparently indistinguishable from numerous South African collections named Thelephora terrestris in the N ational Herbarium , and from Herb. S.A. Mus. No. 34298, originally named Thelephora laciniata but annotated by v. d. Byl as T. intybacea.
The literature on T. intybacea does not clearly indicate how it differs from T. terrestris and moreover there is the complication that T. intybacea Pers. ex Fr. and T. intybacea Fr. are apparently not the same species. This confusion can obviously not be resolved outside Europe, but the probability is strong that T. intybacea does not occur in South Africa and th at specimens recorded as such are actually the far commoner species T. terrestris. T hat opinion is adhered to here, and van der Byl’s specimens are taken to be T. terrestris.
1. Thelephora laciniata Pers. ex F r .; Recorded for South Africa by M acOwan in Cape Agric. Journ. 8 (1895) 331; Davidson in Natal Agric. Journ. 12 (1909) 617; Doidge loc. cit. p. 495.
Thelephora laciniata is generally acknowledged to be a synonym o f T. terrestris Ehrh. ex Fr. Davidson’s specimen does not exist, but I have seen M acOwan’s (No.
1445, Herb. S.A. Mus. 34298) which is in no way different from T. terrestris. 8. Thelephora palmata (Scop.) Fr., Syst. Myc. 1 (1821) 432; W ood in Rept. N atal
Bot. Gard. & Colonial H erbarium for 1898, p. 19; van der Byl in Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch 7 (1929) 31; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 495.
walls. Both surfaces of the pilei were heavily covered with conidiophores and conidia of an Aspergillus. It is doubtful whether this collection is in good enough condition ever to be determined, but certainly it is not Thelephora palmata.
9. Thelephora pedieellata Schw.; Recorded by W ood in Rept. Natal Bot. Gard. & Colonial Herbarium for 1898, p. 19; Bottomley in S.A. Journ. Sci. 13 (1917) 440. J. M. Wood recorded this fungus as “ Thelephora pedieellata Schuz. (sic), on bark, No. 532.” This collection was examined in Herb. Kew. and proved to be a species of Septobasidium, but could not definitely be referred to S. sehweinitzii Burt (in Ann. Mo. Bot. G ard. 3, 1916, 324; Couch, The Genus Septobasidium, 1938, 112) with which Thelephora pedieellata Schw. is synonymous.
10. Thelephora penieillata Lloyd (non Fries) in Myc. Notes 6 (1920) 989, Figs. 1759, 1760; van der Byl in Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch 7 (1929) 32, f. 12; Stevenson & Cash in Bull. Lloyd Library 35 (1936) 60; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 495.
Fig. 8.
Fructifications beginning as resupinate, fertile, m em branous, whitish growths encrusting soil and debris, finely pubescent under the lens, smooth, following the conform ation of the substratum, later becoming greyish then fuscous-purplish and finally drying fawn or chocolate brown. Flabellate fascicles o f subulate radiating branches are emitted usually near the m argin; they are oblique or suberect and become fertile with age at the base, white at first, then yellow-brown to fawn or chocolate brown with the apex remaining whitish and infertile. These branches are occasionally entire but are usually dissected into a number o f penicillate or ciliate parts, and are up to 0 -5 -0 -7 cm long. When growing on debris the fructification may become subpileate, but it is resupinate on soil. Microscopically the resupinate and pileate parts are the same.
Basidia: (30)-60
x
8-5-11 /*, proliferating by basal clamps, with four sterigmata up to 7 • 2 X 1-6 /x.Spores: forming a chocolate coloured spore print, yellow-brown under the microscope, finely warted, irregularly angled, elliptic or subglobose, 4 -8 -7 -2 X 6-4-9 -6 /z. Hyphae: at first hyaline, some later becoming dark brown, branched, closely inter twined, septate, with abundant clamps, 3-5-7 /x diam.
Specimens examined: 31417, J. D. Krige, Stellenbosch, June, 1919, (presumed Type collection); 31500, A. V. Duthie, Stellenbosch, July, 1923; 40512, P. H. B. Talbot, on soil and mosses, Fountains, Pretoria, 1951; 40712, P. H. B. Talbot, on soil and pine needles, Union Buildings Grounds, Pretoria, 1954.
This rather rare species inhabits very moist situations, especially favouring debris under pine trees but not confined to this habitat.
Lloyd (I.e.) named the earlier specimens from Stellenbosch Thelephora penieillata, about which Stevenson & Cash com m ented: “ Seems to have been intended by Lloyd as a new species though his description and com parison with T. spieulosa Fr. might indicate that he had reference to T. penieillata Fr., Syst. Myc. 1, 434, 1821. In a note with a specimen of another species Lloyd refers to T. penieillata ‘ which I had named from South Africa.’ ”
From the literature alone there is very great difficulty in differentiating between Thelephora mollissima Pers. ex. Fr., T. spiculosa and T. penicillata, for these names have been used in different senses by different authors. However, it seems fairly certain that our material is referable to the species described by Burt (Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 1, 1914, 225, PI. 4, f. 2), after reference to an authentic specimen, as T. spiculosa Fr., and by Bourdot & Maire (in Bull. Soc. Myc. de Fr. 36, 1920, 29) as T. spiculosa Fr. forme B. mollissima. Used in this sense, T. spiculosa Fr. is regarded by several authors (Bourdot & Galzin, Hym. de Fr. 1928, 467; Bourdot & Maire, loc. cit.; Rea, Brit. Basid., 1922, 654; Lundell & Nannfeldt, Fung. Exsicc. Suecici No. 77, 1934) as synonymous with Thelephora mollissima Pers. ex Fr., and this is the name which I think should be adopted for T. penicillata Lloyd. F urther work is necessary before this can be confirmed.
Dr. John Eriksson o f Varnamo, Sweden, ha? kindly examined these specimens and has concluded that they are Thelephora mollissima Per;», ex Fr.
11. Thelephora (Stereum) pulverulenta Lév. (!) in Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. iii, 5 (1846) 149; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 491; Talbot in Bothalia 6 (1954) 323.
Corticium (Coniophora) pulverulentum (Lév.) Cooke in Grevillea 8 (1880) 89. Coniophora pulverulenta (Lév.) Massee in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 25 (1889) 129; Saccardo,
Syll. Fung. 6 (1888) 649; Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 480.
The type o f this species, Drêge 9442, as noted previously (Talbot, loc. cit.) is a Hymenochaete, probably H. luteobadia (Fr.) Hóhnel & Litsch.
12. Thelephora punicea Alb. & Schw.; Recorded for South Africa by Wood in Rept. Natal Bot. Gard. & Colonial Herbarium for 1898, p. 19; Kalchbrenner in Grevillea 10 (1881) 58.
J. M. W ood recorded this fungus as “ Thelephora punicea Alb. & Schw., on bark, No. 190” . Van der Byl (in Ann. Univ. Stellenbosch 7, 1929, 19) quotes W ood’s record and gives a description, taken from Rea’s “ British Basidiomycetes ” , under Hypochnus puniceus (A. & S.) Sacc. Bourdot & Galzin (Hym. de Fr., 1928, 769) describe this species from Europe under the genus Tomentella as T. punicea (A. & S.) Schroet. W ood’s collection is no longer in existence and so the record cannot be confirmed.
13. Thelephora sinuans P ers.; Recorded by Léveille in Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. iii, 5 (1846) 146. The record refers to a collection by Drêge (944), C aput Bonae Spei, but no material is available from Herb. Mus. Paris and so the record has not been confirmed. Fide Lentz (U.S.D.A. Agric. M onogr. No. 24, 1955, 35) T. sinuans is a synonym o f Stereum frustulatum (Pers. ex Fr.) Fuckel.
14. Thelephora terrestris Ehrh. ex Fr., Syst. Myc. 1 (1821) 431; Ehrhart, Crypt. Exsicc. No. 178 (1785); Doidge in Bothalia 5 (1950) 495.
Thelephora laciniata Pers. ex Fr., Syst. Myc. 1 (1821) 431; Persoon, Syn. Fung. (1801) 567.
Fig 9.
dark fuscous colour, usually strigose. Hymenium sm ooth to finely radiately rugose and papillate, concolorous. Texture coriaceous, soft, thin. M argin whitish then concolorous, entire to shortly laciniate and strigose-fibrous.
Basidia: n ot seen (fide Bourdot and Galzin: 4 0 - 9 0 x 9 - 1 2 /u).
S pores: coloured, fuscous, finely and sparsely verrucose, subglobose to broad ellipsoid and irregularly angled, ( 7 ) —9 —11 X 7 - 8 /z.
H yphae: coloured brownish, thin-walled, some inflating and then collapsing, with occasional clamps, not encrusted, 3 —5 * 5 —8 —( 1 1 ) /z diam.
Specimens examined: As T. terrestris: Nos. 2 7 5 6 0 . 3 0 6 1 6 , 4 0 2 0 6 . 4 0 6 7 0 , 4 0 6 5 7 , 1 3 0 2 0 , 1 9 8 5 2 , 2 7 3 2 9 , 2 7 3 3 0 , 1 0 6 7 , 1 0 0 4 9 .
As T. intybacea: No. 2 5 8 6 3 ; Universiteit van Stellenbosch, H erbarium P. A. van der
Byl Nos. 1 2 6 3 , 2 1 4 , 1 2 6 1 , 9 2 2 .
As T. lacinicita'. Nos. 1 1 1 0 7 , 3 4 4 0 6 , 3 0 7 1 2 ; Herb. S.A. Mus. No. 3 4 2 9 8 (MacOwan 1 4 4 5 ) , Table M ountain.
EXPLANA TION OF TH E ILLU STRATIONS. The following lettering has been used throughout the illustrations:—
B = Basidia. G = Gloeocystidia.
C = Cystidia. H = Hyphae.
CO = Conidia HA = Habit.
CP = Conidiophores. S = Basidiospores.
CY = Cystidioles. SE = Setae.
H
--- loo/*.--- *1
Fig. 1 .—Craterellus cornucopioides (J. M. W ood No. 4 1 0 8 ) . Fig. 2 .—Cladoderris spongiosa. F ig. 3 .—Cladoderris dendritica. F ig. 4 .—Cladoderris australica
(J. M. W ood No. 2 3 9 ) , neotype. Fig. 5 .—Cladoderris elegans. Fig. 6 .—Clado
